ANPR News

NEWS LINKS

Your ANPR Board of Directors thanks you for participating in a survey last winter to determine future RR locations. Based on the survey results, the top two locations for RR42 (Fall 2019) are the Pacific Northwest near Seattle and Central California near Fresno. The Board is now seeking applicants interested in several key positions for RR42 planning and coordination:

We would like these new committee members to assist the Board in evaluating final venue proposals this Fall.

Please contact anprpresident@gmail.com by October 8, 2018 if you are interested in any of the above positions. The ANPR President and Board hope to fill these critical positions prior to RR41 this November.

We are looking forward to seeing you all in Bowling Green in less than two months!

09 May 2018 12:58 PM |
Anonymous

ANPR’s Annual Photo Contest 2018

Categories

People in the Parks – Be sure to ask permission of subject before submitting.

Landscapes

Wildlife

Historical & Cultural Resources

It’s in the Details (close-ups, abstract designs, micro-details)

Guidelines

Contestants must be ANPR members. Memberships will be available at Rendezvous if not already enrolled.

All photos must be taken within a national park unit.

Contestants may enter only one photo per category.

Photos should be printed and unframed. Recommend size is 8 x 10 inches.

How to Enter

Write you name, email, the location of the photo, and the category on the back of each print.

Drop off photos at Rendezvous’ ANPR registration desk upon arrival. If unable to attend, printed photos can be mailed to 2752 Lefeber, Ave., Wauwatosa WI, 53210. Photos must arrive no later than Friday, November 2nd to be included.

Rendezvous attendees will vote their favorite photos. Winners will be selected from each category, and a “Best of Show” photo will take the top spot. All winners receive recognition at the Rendezvous and have their photos published in Ranger magazine.

The Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR.org), a group of nearly 800 national park rangers and others who support their work, wishes to respectfully express its serious concerns over the proposal to increase some entrance fees to $70, and urges that the fee proposal be reworked.

First, the Association is concerned about ensuring safe conditions for employees and visitors. Park visitors have been expressing frustration over issues including high fees, long lines, lack of parking and lack of staff. There have been incidents of fee collectors and visitor center staff being yelled at and harassed over these issues. In many units of the National Park System, ranger staffing levels have been declining while visitor use has been increasing. Many parks hire seasonal employees during peak season. The fee increase may shift visitor use to off-peak seasons when fewer staff members are available to assist visitors, or it may encourage people to purchase the $80 Annual Pass and increase visitation, further overwhelming existing facilities and staff in some of the proposed parks at the same time park operations budgets are proposed to be cut.

Second, we have concerns that visitors may purchase the $80 Annual Passes in lieu of the single-visit (7-day) $70 passes. Annual Pass receipts are not used to support park transportation systems. In parks with shuttle buses, a major portion of the single-visit entrance fee pays for this transportation system to alleviate traffic congestion. If, instead of paying a $70 entrance fee, visitors purchase Annual Passes, shuttle bus system funding may be in serious jeopardy, adding to overcrowding.

Third, the Association is concerned if entrance fees are raised as proposed, low and middle-income families and individuals may not be able to visit during their summer vacation. If visiting national parks becomes costprohibitive, support for conserving these lands will decrease.

Lastly, we are concerned that a proposal to triple the fees at certain parks assumes that National Park System areas are primarily recreation sites that might be eventually largely financed by visitor receipts. However, more than just recreation sites, these are places that preserve, by law, our natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations. Many values are protected in our national parks, including outstanding wildlife, wilderness, recreation, and historic resources that are the envy of the world. They provide an important “window” into our past and future that must be preserved.

The Association of National Park Rangers wants to keep our national treasures accessible, protected, and safe for all visitors, and believes they ought to be managed primarily with federal tax revenues, with an additional limited contribution of fees from the people who visit in a given year. We look forward to working with the Administration to solve the issues that arise and to ensure the protection of our national parks for future generations.

07 Nov 2015 11:31 AM |
Anonymous

Commemorative centennial badges are now available to National Park Service employees and retirees. These special designs were created with the help of NPS employees, and take the official NPS emblem as their inspiration--with several added elements to celebrate 2016 as the centennial year.

13 Aug 2015 8:34 PM |
Anonymous

On August 7, President Obama signed H.R. 1531, the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, which allows seasonal temporary employees in federal land management agencies to compete for vacant permanent positions under internal merit promotion procedures.

The bill will also waive age requirements that currently prevent well-qualified temporary seasonal firefighters from competing for permanent positions.

The National Federation of Federal Employees, which has championed the legislation, applauded the new law.

27 Feb 2015 6:10 PM |
Anonymous

Who:

Graduates of an accredited Seasonal Law Enforcement Academy who have attained/or are working to attain a National Registry EMT certification.

What:

"V" signifying Volunteer, the V-Unit program is a six-month volunteer LE, EMS and SAR- oriented program supporting South Rim Patrol at Grand Canyon National Park.

V-Units will spend 32 hours a week patrolling the South Rim conducting visitor assists, assisting Law Enforcement with MVAs and traffic control, responding to EMS calls, assisting with SARs, helping with law enforcement investigations and collateral duties, reporting crimes, and completing other duties as assigned. V-Units will begin their season with a two week ride-along orientation with South Rim Patrol. In addition, V-Units will attend LE Refreshers and all applicable LE, EMS and SAR trainings.

When:

Summer seasons will run approximately June 1 to Nov. 30; Winter seasons will run approximately Dec. 1 to May 31

Where:

Shared housing on the South Rim: utilities, uniform, patrol vehicle and emergency equipment will be provided.

Why:

One of the greatest challenges to starting your career will be finding your first seasonal job. Competition is fierce and hiring officials have the overwhelming task of choosing from a large applicant pool in a very short amount of time. Only applicants who have taken it upon themselves to attain additional experience stand out above the rest. This is where the Grand Canyon V-Unit program can benefit you.

While working alongside future peers and employers, you will gain the experiences you need to become competitive, the references needed to vouch for your capabilities, and the confidence to become a competent U.S. Park Ranger. Supervisors will help identify your career development needs and work with you to facilitate training and exposure.

But what if I'm hired by another park while volunteering for Grand Canyon?
Great! No hard feelings. While this program is designed to assist the Visitor and Resource Protection Division at Grand Canyon, our ultimate goal is to benefit the National Park Service by preparing its next generation of future rangers.

Pay:

Although this is a volunteer program, V-Units will be urged to sign up for after-hours emergency responses and will be paid as emergency hire employees when needed.

Apply:

27 Feb 2015 5:54 PM |
Anonymous

The Eighth World Ranger Congress of the International Ranger Federation is scheduled for May 21-27, 2016, at the YMCA of the Rockies near Estes Park, Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park will serve as the host park for this professional gathering of global park employees. More details are here.

27 Feb 2015 5:52 PM |
Anonymous

The Office of Personnel Management has issued final rules expanding eligibility for FEHB (the Federal Employees Health Benefits program), along with a full employer contribution, for certain temporary, seasonal and intermittent employees currently ineligible. Those categories will become eligible if they are expected to work, or be on certain types of approved leave without pay such as parental leave, on average for 130 hours per month and are expected to work at least 90 days. The rules in the Oct. 17 Federal Register are effective in time for those newly eligible employees to elect coverage for the 2015 plan year.

ANPR is pleased to have supported this successful expansion of health benefits to seasonal employees.

22 Jan 2015 2:33 PM |
Anonymous

Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program

(information updated Jan. 22, 2015)

The Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program (SLETP) was developed in 1977 to prepare the seasonal ranger to perform law enforcement in areas administered by the National Park Service. The training program is offered at various venues across the country. The core required program consists of 400 class hours. Some programs may require additional hours.

A successful graduate becomes eligible to receive a Type II law enforcement commission once a background investigation, drug testing and medical screening is completed. Read this information regarding medical standards for commissioned rangers: MedicalStandards.pdf. Prospective students should contact the school they plan on attending for the specific graduation requirements. Fitness requirements for seasonal positions will be posted here when they become applicable and available.

Once obtained, the commission enables the bearer to carry firearms, make arrests, investigate crimes and assist in the execution of warrants.

The cost of each school's program is set by the administration of that school. Prospective students should personally contact the directors of the schools being considered and inquire as to the availability of housing and meals, as well as the tuition costs and any additional fees for ammunition, targets or other items.

We have attempted to offer the most recent information on class dates, but cancellations and changes in scheduling are not uncommon.

27 Feb 2014 6:06 PM |
Anonymous

The Association of National Park Rangers is making sure that important stories of its longtime members are recorded, preserved and protected as part of an oral history project inspired by the National Park Service centennial in 2016. Two ANPR members — Erika Jostad, president, and Alison Steiner, board member for strategic planning — recently donated 16 oral history interviews to the NPS Park History Program. Accepting on behalf of the program were Lu Ann Jones, oral history specialist, and Robert K. Sutton, chief historian.

"These recordings, transcripts and supporting materials are an invaluable addition to our archives," Sutton noted. "These resources will shape the kind of history we're able to write about the Park Service."

In 2012 and 2013 ANPR completed two rounds of interviews at its annual Ranger Rendezvous. A team of oral historians from the Park Service and ANPR has conducted 28 interviews with longtime employees, all of whom helped create the modern Park Service. These men and women joined the agency in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, and they occupied leadership positions during decades of great change. During their tenure, the NPS expanded significantly, the country adopted laws that challenged the Service's management policies, and the demographics of the agency's workforce and its visitors underwent major shifts.

By the NPS centennial in 2016, ANPR plans to record, transcribe, archive and share 50 interviews with Park Service personnel, ranging from emeritus employees to the newest hires. The audio recordings and transcriptions of the oral histories will be archived at the Harpers Ferry Center in West Virginia and are already being shared via publications and websites.

ANPR's oral history project joins a long tradition in the NPS of using interviews to safeguard the collective memory and expertise of those who have shaped the Service over the years. It also advances the top priorities of NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis by passing on important lessons to a younger generation of Park Service personnel as part of workforce development.

"Our partnership with groups like ANPR is vital as we expand our collection of oral histories," Jones said, "especially because we're at a watershed moment in the Park Service's history."